Following explosive revelations by former CAG Vinod Rai about the scams that rocked the UPA government, Congress leaders scrambled to clarify before the media and have demanded an apology and even a 'narco test'.
On Thursday, Congress leaders called for an emergency media conference to put forth their side of the story and have threatened to sue the publication that is bringing out Rai's new tell-all book, 'Not Just An Accountant'.
Former Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam, who was among some party leaders named by Rai in his interview with a news channel, demanded an apology from the former Comptroller and Auditor General, and threatened to file a case of defamation against him.
Rai had named Nirupam as among the three leaders, including Ashwani Kumar and Sandeep Dikshit, who pressurized him to drop Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's name from his reports.
Nirupam has refuted the allegations, saying he never met or spoke to Rai.
Senior leaders also defended former PM who came under scathing indictment by Rai, who alleged that the former was fully aware about scams in his government but did nothing to stop them.
Congress leader P. C. Chacko defended Singh as "the most honest man in India" and told ANI that the former PM had no knowledge of the irregularities.
Several party members also questioned the timing of Rai's allegations, given that the shocking interview comes just ahead of the release of his book, raising some aspersions of whether this could be to seek publicity.
